Garage door operator



May 25 1926. 1,586,037

' B. F. GREENFIELD -GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Filed Feb. 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VA/5555 l1/wem fro@ Patented May 25, 1926.

BENJAMIN F. GREENFIELD, OF MINATARE, NEBRASKA.

GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR.

applicati@ filed February This invention appertains to novel means for opening and closing doors and the primary object of the invention is to provide means for permitting the openin'g and closl5 ing of the doors ot a garage, without necessitating the operator ot the automobile getting out ot his machine tor opening and closing the said doors.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an electrically operated door .opening and closing mechanism embodying a reversible motor having controlling switches arranged interiorly and exteriorly ol the garage, adjacent to the path ot' the automobile, wherebyr the switcher can be conveniently operated by the driver o the automobile from the interior thereof, thereby permitting the expeditious opening and closing of the doors of the garage both from the interior and exterior of the garage without necessitating the driver getting out of the automobile.

A further object o'l' the invention is to provide a door opening mechanism for garages and the like embodying a guide, a cross head slidably mounted upon the guide having pivoted links connected with the garage doors and a reversible electric motor for operating the sliding cross head.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved device ot the above character, which will be durable and etlicient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture and one which can be incorporated with a garage at a small cost.

l/Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the door opener showing the same incorporated with a garage, the trame ot the garage only being shown.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the improved door opening and closing mechanism showing the same applied to a garage, the trame of the garage only being shown.

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the sliding cross head showing the same mounted upon the guide, and

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view illustrating the connection of one of the links with one of the garage doors.

1s, 1924. ser'iai No. 692,565.

Referring to the drawings in detail, where' in similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally indicates the 60 improved door opening and closing mechanism and B a garage with which the same is' associated. l

,The garage B can be of any preferred character or type, and as shown includes the 05 door posts 5, the standards or supporting beams 6 and the ceiling joists 7. The door posts 5 have their upper ends connected bv the usual front cross beam R.

Hingedly connected to the door posts 5 are the garage doors 9 and 10, which as shown, are adapted to open outward.

The improved door mechanism A ernbodies a reversible electric motor 11 of any preferred character and this motor 11 is 7 mounted on a suitable bed, which as shown embodies plates 12 which are secured to the upper surface ot the ceiling joists 7. The bed 12 also supports bearings 13 for receiving the transversely extending counter shaft 14;, to which is keyed or otherwise secured a pulley 15 and a drive sprocket wheel 15. The armature shaft 17 of the motor 11 is also provided with a pulley 18 which is in alignment with the pulley 15 and the pulleys 15 and 18 are connected by a suitable belt 19.

Arranged in advance of the counter sha-tt 14: is a longitudinally extending centrally disposed guide bar 20 which can have its forward end secured to the front cross beam 8 and its rear end secured to one of the ceiling joists 7. This guide bar 2O terminates directly below a pair of bearings 21 which are utilized for rotatably supporting a driven shaft 22 on which is mounted a guide sprocket 23. This guide sprocket 23 is in direct alignment with the sprocket 16 mounted upon the counter shaft 14. The sprocket wheels 23 and 16 have trained about the same a drive sprocket chain 24, the terminals of which are secured to upstanding lugs 25 formed 0n the ends of the cross head 26, which is slidably-mounted upon the guide bar 20. This cross head 26 includes a sleeve 27 which receives the guide rod 2O and the longitudinally extending body portion 27 on which the lugs 25 are termed. The opposite sides of the sleeves are provided with pairs ot' laterally extend- 110 ing pivot ears 29 between which are pivotally secured the operating links 30. These links are shown of an eye beam construction but ot course the saine can be made troni other material. rl`he 'forward ends ot the operating beains 30 are pivotally connected as at 3l to suitable brackets 32 which are secured to the inner -faces ot the garage doors 9 and l0.

From this construction it is obvious when the motor 11 is rotating in one direction. say in a clockwise direct-ion (referring to Figure 2 of the drawings),y the cross head 2G will be pulled toward the lront cross beam 8 and thus push outward on the operating links 3() which will open the garage doors 9 and l0. It the motor ll is oeing operated in the reverse direction the cross head 25 will be pulled inwardly, which will close the doors. It the door D and l0 are closed be- 'lore the motor is shut olli, it is obvious that the helt 19 will siinplj,7 slip, and thns prevent breakage ot any operating parts ot the door opening and closing mechanism.

ln order to permit the motor to be operated both from the inside and outside ot the garage an inside switch 3.3 and an outside switch 3G is provided. The inside switch 35 is arranged one side of the garage as clearly shown, while the outside switch 36 can be supported by a suitable post or the like 57 arranged outside oit the garage in spaced relation thereto.

The switches 35 and 36 can be et the tour point typej so as to control the direction ci' tlow of the current to the motor tor causing the reversing thereof".

From the foregoing` description it can be seen that l have provided a novel door opening and closing mechanism, which is particularly adapted for garage use, and which is ot' a durable and eliicient character.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this intention.

What I claim as new is:

The combination with a pair ot hingedly L mounted doors arranged to open away trom each other, a pair of divergent links connected to the doors adjacent', their tree ends, and a guide rod arranged rearwardlyv of the doors and supported in a horizontal plane, or a cross head comprising an clongated sleeve slidably mounted on the guide rod and provided with laterally extending spaced ears adapted to have secured therebetween the opposite ends of the links, said :ilcere being Yfurther provided with an clouv ratei o extending longitudinall)Y thereof and provided with terminal upstandinglugs, sprocket wheels at the opposite sides ot the cross head, a sprocket chain trained about the sprocket wheels and having its ends connected to the said terminal lugs. and means for rotating one ot the sprocket wheels whereby to move the cross head in a torward or a rearward direction to open or close the doors.

in testimony whereoin I aiiix my signature.

BENJAMIN F. GREENFIELD., 

